It’s referred to as intimate terrorism or intimate partner violence (IPV). It is a form of domestic violence where there’s physical abuse involved in a relationship in order to keep control over the other person. The abuser is so desperately attached to the person that they use violence in order to keep them, and they try to control every aspect of their life. Forms of abuse used include emotional abuse, sexual abuse, physical abuse, verbal abuse, and coercive control.
Intimate terrorism occurs when a romantic relationship is extremely abusive and destructive to both people involved, but they do not have the ability to relinquish the relationship and get on with their lives, even knowing they are unhappy. In many cases, the victim not only fails to give up the relationship but is afraid to embark on a life without a partner, is afraid to retaliate and even ask for help to overcome this situation.
